Reading Shelley

I made it to Austin okay yesterday, and as evidenced, I found internet connectivity (for a small fee). I'm here for work and have just made it back to my hotel room for the night. I'm taking a second to blog (obviously), but before I turn in tonight, I'll do some reading.

Finding times to read can be a challenge, but I’m committed to always be reading, a practice I let fall aside during college. No, I don’t count college textbooks as reading. Reading is for fun. Wait, that is not entirely true. I am actually battling through a complete volume of Percy Shelley’s poetry right now in hopes of learning how to view the world differently.

Whether it is a falling leaf, an ocean wave, or something as mundane as a street light, poets animate what they see. I want to provide a degree of that in my writing.

Reading a poet helps me with my vocabulary, too. That, and my every other thought, tends to be seeing a sunrise or feeling the wind. To tell the truth, I love Shelley’s language but I get lost in his longer works. Please let me know if you understand “The Revolt of Islam”. Has anyone else read any poetry lately? Do you think it helps your writing?

Last month (yes, I've been reading Shelley awhile), I felt so inspired by Shelley's overly descriptive prose, I went back to "PHAIAKIA" and added all sorts of adjectives to my one scary scene. The chapter sounded okay this last proofing; however, I have a sneaking suspicion the scene may now be guilty of' over-writing.'

No more writing tonight. 'Nuff said. I'm going to read Crighton's "Andromeda Strain" and then get a little shut eye. Poetry? I, uh ..., accidentally left Shelley at home.